confidence than in Christ this is marvellous easie and apparant even amongst the Heathens themselves Many of the Heathens themselves have beene so farre taken up with the admiration at and affecting of morall vertues one man with patience and another with temperance they have been so taken up in meditation and in the admiration of these that they have trampled upon crownes and have harsely esteemed of all the honours of the world many speeches of the Heathen wee have to this purpose as that when one said honours riches c. cannot properly be said to be good for then they would make him good which hath them as wee see wisedome makes a man wise that hath it but they that have riches and honours for the most part are most wicked and vilde wretches therefore onely the wise man is the happy man and an ignorant man is a miserable man therefore hee seeing the excellency of and putting a high price upon these morall vertues this hath made them put a high price on the one and trample on the other Now if Heathen men may be so farre taken up with these morall vertues which have onely the light of nature to guide them and never had the knowledge of Christ to drive them beyond themselves that yet they will doe all this then a Hypocrite may come to see a greater beauty than is in all these when they come from the Spirit of grace for the Heathens had but the very shell and outside of these but the Hypocrite knowes the vertue and benefit of these and the eternall good that will come by these this hee is able to discerne and therefore hee is able to put a high price upon these and it is no wonder when the people came to make Saul King hee hid himselfe amongst the stuffe 1 Sam. 10.22 as if hee were unworthy of the kingdome so that a man may for by-ends cast off preferment and ease and honour Secondly whereas the sturdy hypocrite tooke up a fine cold temper and an ordinary path in a Christian course this hypocrite scornes that and he is a profest enemy to lukewarmnesse and to a lazy carnall discretion in a Christian course This is the zeale and forwardnesse of this man but mistake me not for I doe not speake this to dishearten a good cause or the zeale and forwardnesse of any good man no God forbid nay let that tongue faulter and cursed be the head that contrives or the mouth that speakes any thing against the zeale and forwardnesse of any man in any good cause the way is warrantable and lawfull and must be done for though meere morall vertues will not save a Christian yet without them no man shall ever come to Heaven but I speake all this to shew that all this may bee done and yet all be starke naught I doe not speake this to discourage any man for you see I commend of this man hee is not swept downe from the firmament of his profession as the sturdy hypocrite was by the taile of the Dragon but he maintains his profession with credit and is zealous in it he goes for a marvellous broken hearted Christian he scornes to be a linsey-woolsey-man halfe one and halfe of another hee stands in the open defence of the truth and dares side with the Lord Jesus Christ and saith as Iehu who is on my side who 2 Kings 10.16 Come see my zeale which I have for the Lord of Hosts thus it was with Paul Gal. 1. 14. He profited above many of his brethren in the Iewish religion being more exceeding zealous of the traditions of the Fathers and Phil. 3.6 7. he was a Pharisee and concerning zeale he persecuted the Church touching the righteousnesse of the Law he was blamelesse and these he counted gaine This was all the gaine that Paul had namely that hee had such parts and gifts and abilities to doe duties this was all his gaine and because hee had all these hee thought he must needs goe to Heaven nay nay it is harder to goe to Heaven than you thinke for it is another manner of worke than so the greatest hindrance that ever Paul had in his conversion was the carnall confidence which hee had in himselfe there he stucke Now wherein doth the falsenesse of this man appeare I answer Amongst many others it discovers it selfe most grosly and notoriously in these particulars First you shall finde that as for lesser sinnes the reformation of which might spoile him in the venting of his commodities and marring his market that he cannot set himselfe his parts and commodities at sale he will slight those sinnes and make no account of them and swallow them downe without any chewing because such as these bee would hinder him in his trading that hee could not vent and shew himselfe and hee makes no great matter of them this is for his outward practice But if a mans exactnesse in a Christian course be sincere then he will be exact in all things but if his exactnesse may give way to some sinne then it is but hypocrisie it is but a cloake and no soundnesse at all why dost thou heare and pray and take up duties though these must bee done if thy duties bee sincere and if thou lovest duties abroad thou wilt love them at home too 1 Iohn 2.3 Hereby we know that wee know him if we keepe his Commandements if a man keepe all the Commandements of God then he shall savingly know God and hereby hee shall know that he knowes God this is a signe that saving faith is there because it makes a man keepe all the Commandements of God but cursed bee that prayer which seems to set it selfe against sinne and yet gives allowance unto sinne That prayer and performance which maintaines sinne is accursed and God will never accept of it this is for his out side Secondly though this hypocrite be very exact and expresse much power of religion in the world yet follow this wretch home and dog him to his owne heart and closet and there you shall finde him not onely living in but maintaining some sinne either in his practice or else in others as when hee was abroad hee would swallow downe such smaller sinnes as would hinder him in the venting of himselfe so at home hee maintaines some distemper either in his family or in himselfe A man out of the strength of parts and the excellency of his judgement and the ability that God hath bestowed upon him may doe this that wheresoever he comes he will comfort and quicken and exhort and pray with others these are good duties I doe not discommend them but he returnes home and is churlish and dogged and cruell to his servants and takes up a pang of passion and will bee upon the house top for every trifle and this is constant too this is the bane of religion and profession Of this straine are those that for their parts and gifts are marvellous large and they will goe from this
me all my care is to leane upon my Saviour and this is my comfort he will looke to me though I cannot doe it for my selfe Act 4 The fourth act of reposing the Spirit which makes it up is this and this indeed is the nature of faith it drawes vertue and derives power from the Lord Jesus Christ for succour and supply here is the especiall life of faith and it is the very words of Scripture or else I durst not speake so much of it but that the Scripture sayes it open in this manner faith findes all in the promise and fetcheth all from the promise that it needs as when a man hath provision of meat and money in his house if any man say to him where shall we have such and such things Oh saith he I will goe fetch them so it is with the nature of faith it goes for mercy and grace and comfort in Christ it knowes t is to bee had from him and therefore fetcheth all from him it drawes and suckes the sweetnesse of the promise as it was with the woman that had the bloudy issue Mat. 9.21 22. Oh saith she could I but touch the hem of his garment I should be whole and so she did and vertue came from him and shee was healed of all her grievances that lay upon her so it is with a faithfull soule that toucheth the Lord Jesus Christ it layes hold but a little on the promise and there is sap and vertue communicated to the beleeving heart whereby it comes to be helped and comforted in the way of God Esay 12.3 it is said With joy ye shall draw water out of the wells of salvation the fountaine of salvation and all the waters of life and grace and mercy are in Christ now it is not enough to let downe the bucket into the well but it must bee drawen out also the waters of life are in Christ now it is not enough to come to and to looke to Christ but wee must draw the water of grace from Christ to our soule as Esay 66.11 They shall sucke and be satisfied with the brests of the consolation that they may milke out and be delighted with the abundance of her glorie the Church is compared to a childe and the brests are the promises of the Gospell now the elect must suck out and be satisfied with it and milke it out the word in the originall is exact upon the promise and oppresse the promise as the oppressoâ—â— grinds the face of a poore man and will have his goods what ever become of his wife and children so a man must wrest the promise for grace and power from the Lord Jesus Christ Ah beloved this is our misery we suffer abundance of milke to be in the promise and we are like wainly children that lye at the brest and will neither sucke nor be quiet so we suffer this to be in the promise and yet imploy not our selves to get it out and to sucke it out therefore brethren suffer not your faith to come to the promise and to lye at it but hale mercy from thence and with aâ— holy kinde of oppression exact upon it and get what good you may from it the Lord allowes it Quest But here it may bee asked how this is done how doth faith draw vertue from Christ Answ I answer It is an heavenly skill and yet marvellous hard and difficult Threefold Act. faith drawes vertue by a threefold act or faith improves the promise three wayes First faith doth appropriate the promise to it selfe and applies all that good and grace that is revealed offered in the Lord Jesus Christ home to it selfe the voices of faith in the Scripture are these my Lord and my God so Paul saith Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chiefe he would be sure to have a share in the mercy as if a man should say I will cut something before the dish goe away Psal 48.14 when the Lord had so much care of his Church and how terrible he was to the enemies and how mercifull to his people c. in the end the Church saith This God is our God and he will be our God even till death she doth appropriate God to her selfe and engrosseth God and saith our God is not as the Heathens god and there David would have God all his owne and saith whatsoever God hath done for any of his people how terrible for them and how mercifull to them the same God hee is to my soule and he will bee my God for ever and hence the Scripture saith Esay 55.1 Come buy and eat c. all these places are nothing else but the act of faith to come is to repaire to the promise and to buy is to take possession of it and to eat is nothing else but to embrace it for our good and comfort it is not enough for mee to goe to the market and stand looking on the commodity there but I must lay downe my money buy it and take possession of it and beare it home so the Lord saith Come to the waters buy wine and milke c. the Lord sets open the shop of grace and salvation every day where the Gospell is preached and therefore not only cheapen but come to the agreement and buy offer like chapmen and stand not hagling but say I will lay downe all my lusts and part with all for Christ and when yee have done thus take mercy and comfort it is yours you have bought it so that now the faithfull soule enters upon the promise as his owne as a man that comes to take possession of house and land as his owne so the faithfull soule reads of all that mercie in pardoning of sinne and all that God effects to save and all that mercy offered to the poore man out of whom the Lord cast seven Devils then the soule saith all that mercie is mine Manasses was an idolater and a monster yet the Lord humbled saved him and all that mercy is mine Paul a persecutour and an oppressour and yet the Lord opened his eyes pardoned his sinne and hee is now a glorified Saint in heaven c. all that mercie is mine hence I take that phrase to be Iohn 3.33 where faith is said to set its seale to the promise He that beleeveth hath set to his seale that God is true now observe that as it is amongst men in their agreements it is not enough that the articles are drawne and made but they must be sealed if they are only made wee use to say they want nothing but sealing now when they are sealed every than takes his owne and the bargaine is thorow Just so it is betweene the Lord and the soule the Articles of agreement whereby God passeth over his promise to a poore sinner are these If wee will part from our selves and our sinnes the Lord Jesus saith all this grace and mercy is yours you that are thus
there is none equall to his to bee compared with this worke of beleeving I say of faith as Iacob did of Reuben Gen. 49.3 Reuben thou art my first borne my might and the beginning of my strength the excellency of dignities c. So I say of faith it is the first borne of all other graces it is the might of God and the beginning and the excellency of the might and power of God for as the first borne hath a double portion appointed by God so this is the first borne and hath a double portion of that Almighty Spirit of his So then if it be so that all the parts that ever a man had and all the highest privileges and meanes and duties cannot reach this worke and are not able to worke faith but are too feeble to worke faith and if it bee so that this worke is extraordinary great and so are the hindrances to be removed and none but Christ can doe it and if faith bee supernaturall the opposition against this worke of God bee so fierce let then every man that heares the word of God this day yeeld that it is unconceivable how it is done and therefore much more out of our power to worke it in our owne soules therefore you that have heard and understand the minde of God that out of ignorance have beene deceived to you I now speake you are to be intreated in the name of the Lord to goe home and say and take shame to your selves and confesse your owne folly thou that hast made it a easie worke to beleeve saying if people were but judicious to understand the Scriptures it were easie to beleeve now take shame to your selves and say thus Lord the truth is I condemned such and such a poore soule I heard such a man a mourning and saying hee could not beleeve in the meane time I thought it was easie or else they wanted wit but I thought that by my parts and abilities and because I was able to see the depth of Scriptures that therefore I could beleeve and that it was an easie matter to doe it but poore deluded creature that I was I see now that I am no more able to beleeve out of my owne power than to pull the sunne from the heavens consider it sadly and know that he that beleeves must beleeve through grace therefore parly with the promise and say Lord I must beleeve through grace it is not parts nor privileges meanes nor duties I must beleeve through grace if I could meditate till my eyes sunke into my head yet Lord it is through that grace that I must beleeve through that grace of thine inable thy servant and strengthen him in hearing prayer and all meanes that I may receive the good and benefit of faith to my comfort and brethren whensoever yee appeare before the Lord in the use of the meanes doe not sticke upon the meanes and say now I shall beleeve but looke to him that by all these can doe more than thou canst doe and say Good Lord thou hast appointed the ordinances to worke faith and the messengers have knockt at the doore of my heart and would faine have had me come home to the Lord Jesus but alas this heart would not yeeld I will not beleeve nor rest upon the promises nor goe to Jesus Christ nor denie all carnall confidence in parts and gifts and the like therefore good Lord thou that hast the keyes of hell and death doe not onely stand and knock but Lord shake off these iron gates of unbeleefe from the hinges it is thy owne worke doe it Lord for the good and comfort of thy servant this we must doe or else it will never be done it is the Lord that must doe it you know a little before my text the Scribes and Pharisees said How did he come downe from heaven Let no man saith Christ be offended with this for no man can come to mee except the Father draw him and in the 28 29. verses they said How shall we worke the worke of God This is the worke of God saith Christ that ye beleeve in the Sonne of God this is the Master peece and the first-borne of God and the exceeding greatnesse of his mightie power and in the text Hee that hath heard and learned of the Father commeth to me and Christ saith I have called you out of world the Disciples were setled upon the world and Christ calls them now if all the Angels in heaven had called they would not have heard but Christ saith I have called you from the world and from that evill and sinne in which ye were c. when you heare of there workes treasure them up in your heart and plead thus with the Lord and say Lord thou hast bidden us come unto thee and it is our dutie but no man can come unto thee though he have never so many parts and gifts except thou draw him Lord draw this heart of mine to beleeving no man can know the way to thee except thou teach him Oh therefore teach thou this blinde minde of mine it is not our worke can make us beleeve it is not in our power to frame our hearts to this blessed worke Lord doe thou it and let that excessive greatnesse of thy mighty power be manifested in making mee beleeve and draw home this soule by the greatnesse of thy power Lord here are great hinderances and great sinnes and mightie great basenesse and loosnesse of heart Lord thou hast that exceeding great power to doe it Lord worke mightily upon my heart and over-power this greatnesse of sinne with the greatnesse of thy power and over-power this mightinesse of corruption by that mightinesse of thy power you must goe to God for this power or else it will never bee for though you had all the meanes and helpes that ever any had yet this carnall confidence will never out before the almighty power of God come downe from heaven seeke for that power and never be in quiet till you have it that you may have this worke of faith to your comcomforts for ever Vse 4 Hence in the next place wee collect the exceeding great benefit that will come by beleeving to the soule the difficultie in getting of it cannot be so great but the benefit of it when it is gotten will bee as great every way and that is thus faith makes the life of every man that hath it most easie and brings full content to the soule of him that hath it these are the two heads to which I will referre the benefit of faith First it makes the life of a Christian most easie Secondly it gives full content to the heart of a poore Christian these follow from the former truth in this manner if this be the nature of faith to cause the soule to rest upon the free grace of God in Christ and to furnish the soule with a supply of spirituall wants from hence then this must needs make the life
of a Christian most easie if faith makes the life of a Christian so easie then the soule must needs bee contented but the nature of faith is this to cause the soule to rest upon God and his promise and therefore it makes the life easie Secondly it furnisheth the soule with all necessaries and therefore it gives the soule full content First of the former the life of the beleever is the life that hath most ease with it and brings most delight with it there is no life under heaven more free from tediousnesse and hath more ease and liberty than a Christian course let a mans condition bee what it will bee faith makes a mans life most easie I use to compare the conditions of them that want faith to the cart that is from his wheeles they draw heavily and they are in great extremitie and they tug and toile but it will not be drawne with any ease or good successe so unfaithfull soules sinck in their sorrowes upon every occasion and their lives are tedious and wearisome but faith sets the cart upon the wheeles and carries all away easily and comfortably you must know thus much it is the hardest matter in the world to get faith when we want it but it is the most easiest life in all the world and hath the most delight in all the world if wee have but skill to use it wisely when we have it and it gives most ease and quiet to a man in all his conversation and this faith doth two wayes First because faith hath a skill and a kinde of slight to put over all cares to another that whereas the unfaithfull heart beares all the cares in himselfe and so he sinckes under them this is the cunning of faith to put over all to another wee take up the crosse but faith hurls all the care on Christ as Matth. 11.29 Take my yoke upon you and you shall finde rest to your soules faith makes a man rest and goe on easily in a Christian course and all his troubles are removed and therefore he may goe on easily in a Christian course all his troubles are removed therefore he may goe on with ease whereas the unfaithfull heart is as Saint Iames speakes Chap. 1. 15. Like a wave of the sea tossed to and fro and Esa 57.20 There is no peace to the wicked but they are as a raging sea which cannot rest faith sets us to the worke but it layes all the weight of the worke upon another it is an easie matter to lye under the burthen when another beares all the weight of it this is the difference betweene a faithfull soule and a man that lives by his wits and shifts looke as it is with two ferry men the one of them hals his boat about the shoare and cannot get off but tugs and puls and never puts her forth to the tide but the other puts his boat upon the streame and sets up his saile and then hee may sit still in his boat the winde will carry him whither he is to goe Just thus it is with a faithfull soule and an unbeleever all the care of the faithfull soule is to put himselfe upon the streame of Gods providence and to set up the saile of faith and to take the gale of Gods mercie and providence and so he goes on cheerfully because it is not he that carries him but the Lord Jesus Christ whereas every unfaithfull soule tugs and puls at the businesse like the ferryman with his boat upon the shoare and can finde neither ease nor cheare nor successe because hee thinkes by his owne wits and power to doe what he would but faith will keepe a man upon the streame of Gods providence and labours for the blessing of God to carrie him along and so he rests himselfe upon the free grace of God this makes the life of faith marvellous easie and free from trouble and makes the soule goe on wonderfull cheerfully though the childe were naked yet if the father would buy cloth and see the garment fitted for him hee only to take it and put it on were not this easie and though the childe were even hungerstarved yet if the father would provide meat and drinke and set it before him hee only to eat it were not this easie when the Lord had made a marriage for his Sonne Luke 14. the text saith He hath killed his fatlings and drawne out his wines all things are ready come therefore to the marriage this is all that God lookes for at our hands all the dainties of life and salvation peace pardon power against corruption whatsoever we can want they are all prepared onely come unto the marriage take this mercie and feed upon these precious comforts that the Lord Jesus Christ offereth unto us if you want grace and if you want wisdome and power and holinesse and patience you may goe to Jesus Christ and take it it is bought and paid for already onely take it and put it on is not this an easie life what would you have brethren nay yet more if more may be added all that the Lord requires in this case is in a manner to stand still and see what the Lord will doe for him as in the 2 Chron. 20.15 to the 20. when Iehoshaphat was in a great straight and knew not what to doe the Lord saith to him The battle is not yours but Gods stand ye still and see the salvation of God it is easie conquering when a man may stand still and overcome by looking on the adversaries then in the 19. verse the Levites the Sonnes of the Kohathites fell to singing and to praising of God when as yet they had not strucke one stroke in the battle but the truth is they had the victorie by faith they beleeved the Prophets of God the Prophets had spoken it and therefore the King did beleeve it that it should be done and it was not only so in that extraordinary case of his wherein the power and life of faith was expressed but it is that which appertaines to all the Saints of God in their spirituall combats and what God did for the King in that case the same hee doth for all the Saints therefore Rom. 8.38 The beleevers are more than conquerers and why so there is no man can conquer before hee come into the field and contend with his enemies but wee overcome before wee fight how through him that loved us if wee looke upon the Lord Jesus Christ and keepe our hearts by a holy bent to the promises of life and salvation we shall overcome our enemies this is the first ground Secondly faith makes the life easie this way because it sweetens all our afflictions even those that are most hard and full of tediousnesse and withall faith apprehends all troubles and afflictions and faith apprehends the faithfulnesse of God ordering all for his good and that 's the reason why all troubles are digested comfortably without any harshnesse at all
is it thus with me Ans I answer the fault is not in faith that it doth not or cannot lend supply and succour to thee but the fault is in thy selfe either in thy carelesnesse and ignorance that knowest not when thou hast faith or else in thy unskilfulnesse that thou dost not imply that faith which thou hast faithfully for thine owne good I speake only of the beleever I goe not about to prove that he which hath not faith can be contented no hee hath a worme in his bosome a conscience which will plague him and torment him for ever Quest But to speake of one that hath faith if it be so that it bringeth such contentment how may a man that hath faith improve it to have this contentment from it Ans For answer hereunto the rules are foure which a man must use to have this contentment whereby he may be carried on in his course and goe on singing to Heaven remember still that I speake of a man that hath faith Rule 1 First labour to gaine some evidence to thy owne soule that thou hast a title to the promise make thy title good It is not enough for a malefactour in prison to have a pardon granted him but he must know that the pardon is granted before he can bee contented therewith haply the King hath granted it and the Prince hath begd it but the malefactour is not contented untill hee know it It is not enough that a poore begger hath a friend or a rich unkle that will doe much for him or that he hath setled a great estate upon him and his heires after him but hee must know it before he can be contented with it it may be he is not neere by a hundred miles and he is troubled with misery and poverty because hee knowes not of it just so it is with a faithfull soule there is never a poore beleever but hee is rich in faith though hee live in a smoaky cottage and lives meanly and goes barely yet all these revenues of faith are his Heaven and Earth and all is thine thou poore beleever But what is all this to the matter if thou hast no evidence that all this iâ— thine this is the fault why poore Christians goe drooping and are overburthened with their sins and their miseries because they see not their title to mercie nor their evidence of Gods love in 2 King 6.16 17. when Elisha was beset with an armie of his enemies the servant of the Prophet said good Master what shall we doe they are many and wee are few they are armed and wee are naked then said the Prophet Lord open his eyes that he may see and God did it and then hee saw those hils full of fierie charets and then hee saw that there were more with them than were against them and then hee was quiet now the armies and the chariots were there before but hee saw them not and therefore he could not be quieted so it is with every faithfull soule the Lord hath caused his Angels to pitch their tents about the elect wee have God on our side and Christ and the Angels but wee see not our privileges and the interest that wee have in the mercie and goodnesse of the Lord we crie out as he did good Master what shall we doe so many sinnes and so many corruptions how shall we be succoured the Lord open our eyes that we may see the free riches of his grace and the fulnesse of his mercie this is all ours that we may see his love to us and his Angels waiting upon us and his blessing going with us this would quiet our hearts I will not now adde how you may doe this and how you may make your evidence cleere that you have a title to mercie this were to multiply a division upon a division only judge your estate by the word and take one evidence from the word as good as ten thousand this is the fault of people it may bee some evidence fits them marvellous well but because they have not all they will have none at all in truth but throw away all and therefore I say judge your estates by the word and not by carnall reason and if you have but one promise for you you have all in truth though all be not so fully and cleerly perceived this is the first rule Rule 2 Secondly labour to set a high prize and a wonderfull great account of the precious promises of the Lord thus estated upon thee for thy good and make account of the least promise of grace above a thousand worlds looke what account you make of the sufficiencie of a thing so much content you have in that thing whose sufficiencie you see and doe esteeme of now because the promises of God and the riches of Gods love in Christ are most worthy of our love and most sufficient for us let us therefore be contented with them above all and then wee shall bee contented though wee want all Luke 12.32 when the Disciples were in great trouble and expected more and further miserie after the death of Christ the Lord Christ saith to them Feare not little flocke it is your fathers pleasure to give you a kingdome if you finde hand measures and feare troubles and expect persecutions on every side yet feare ye not you shall have a kingdome and that will carry you through all occasions are you imprisoned and persecuted and disquieted feare not you shall have a kingdome and then you shall bee comforted and quieted for ever you little ones that are poore and meane in the world and you lye as stepping stones for every base wretch to tread on you are persecuted and despised and scorned but feare not you shall have a kingdome the want of this is the cause of all that discontentment that is in the hearts of Gods owne people which are beloved of him and respected by him Take a poore man in misery his children crie for meat and the mother saith goe to bed poore babes you shall have meat when the Lord sends it brethren this is hard I confesse but now if a friend should come and give him two hundred pounds a yeare for ever this would make him goe away contented because this would provide for him and his now I propound a promise to this man the Lord hath said he will never faile thee nor forsake thee what is this worth of your money one man offers him two hundred pounds a yeare and I offer him a promise now couldst thou thou poore miserable creature bee content to take this two hundred pounds a yeare and leave the promise and bee content that the Lord should not pardon nor comfort nor save thee I presume thou wouldst not doe thus now will a thousand pounds content thee and will not the promise the reason is thou prisest the money because it is temporall and thou seest it and thou prisest not the promise because it is spirituall and thou seest